cardiff street pastors

“Oi, Batman, do you fancy a bottle of water?” It’s 3am in the Cardiff City Centre. Batman and Robin are joyfully running through the vivacious streets chasing one another, whilst a man dressed as a clown is sitting in the damp doorway of a run-down former nightclub. Tonight is not any ordinary night, it’s Halloween, and thousands of people have descended into the capital for a weekend of partying. With nightclubs beginning the slow and drawn-out process of moving people on, it can lead to chaotic and disturbing scenes in the capital, reminiscent of the horror movies that many of these party goers are looking to replicate through their costumes. Police sirens blare, paramedic’s dash around and, in the middle of it all, a group of volunteers stand guard, watching as it all goes on around them. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” says 48-year-old Terry Marsh overlooking a young lady who has been told to go home by police after taking off her maid costume, exposing herself to the grateful men stood nearby. “Trust me, when you’ve been doing stuff like this for as long as I have, nothing at all can surprise you.” Terry is a volunteer who spends at least one weekend a month patrolling the streets of Cardiff at night time, helping vulnerable people in need. Talking to me at the end of his gruelling six hour shift of the city centre on a freezing cold October night, Terry tells of what it is he actually does, and why he enjoys doing it so much. “We are there for those who need us. We tend to hand out bottles of water to a lot of younger people who have had a couple of drinks too many. The majority of people we deal with are actually students, but they are never usually a problem and are very grateful for what we do. “You occasionally get the odd idiot, but I’d say that 99% of those we deal with are appreciative and to see that we’ve helped someone is of great joy to me.” Street Pastors operate all across Britain, funded largely through Home Office funds and public donations. The Cardiff branch of the society – which was set up in 2008 – has 51 volunteers from Christian communities, coming together to make Cardiff a safer place to be at night. The Pastors, such as Terry, work throughout the year but tend to be at their busiest during the winter months, with Halloween, Christmas and the New Year being particular highpoints – and this year’s Halloween weekend celebrations are not disappointing, as thousands flock to the city in fancy dress. James Jones is one of the younger volunteers at the age of 25, but he feels a part of the pastors’ family, and knows that what he is doing is playing a part in keeping Cardiff a safe environment to be in. As of 2011, there were 51 registered premises in St Mary’s Street alone, meaning pastors such as James have their work cut out. “It’s not our task to help every single person who comes into the city, but to be there for those who need the help,” he says. “That could mean handing out flip-flops to those who are in need of safer footwear and also giving out water to those feeling rather drunk, like this guy heading towards us dressed as Batman.... ‘Oi, Batman, do you fancy a bottle of water?’” The team work closely with 16 night base volunteers to help the vulnerable, in partnership with the South Wales police, paramedics and taxi ambassadors - who themselves are funded by Safer Capital budget, something that the Street Pastors are aiming to be involved in. It’s not just helping the drunken party-goers of Cardiff that these pastors deal with, they also help victims of crime who can sometimes be distressed, which James goes into some detail about. “When you think about it, it’s almost inevitable that you will have victims of crime on nights out – it just happens. “We stay in regular contact with the police over handsets and if there’s a major incident we’ll make sure they are aware of it as soon as possible. We won’t put ourselves in danger, but instead try to solve problems before they spiral out of control.” Just as James finishes telling me of certain issues of violence he has witnessed, a youngster in the Halloween spirit, wearing a torn shirt and jeans, as well as fake blood makeup, begins to get agitated at a bouncer who has asked him to leave a club. James, who is working as part of a team of four others, manages to calm the situation down, before leasing with the taxi ambassadors to get the gentleman home safe and well. This is just one example of the work carried out by the volunteers, that show, come rain or shine, they will do their part to make sure that those who are out at night in Cardiff on weekend’s enjoy themselves. The work that street pastors carry out across Britain helps take the pressure off paramedics and police officers, and can help save the NHS thousands of pounds each year through wasted call-outs. One person who has benefitted from the pastors scheme is 19-year-old Jessica Kay, who herself needed treatment last Halloween. “It’s funny because it was exactly 12 months ago that I was being helped by these guys when I got really drunk in a night club around the corner. “A couple of the volunteers are sat with one of my friends who cut her hand running through the street, so we’re grateful to have them here. I respect what they do so much, and at the end of the day if they weren’t here then this City wouldn’t be near as safe at night time.” She’s not wrong. As the unsightly streets which were full of colour and character just hours ago begin to slowly die down, and with the smell of fast food still lingering strong in the night air, Terry and co can call an end to another busy but successful shift, before beginning again all over again tomorrow.

St David's Day in cardiff

In each direction you look, it is clear to see the joy and excitement on the faces of those walking around the busy city centre. A mixture of the young and old come together as the daffodils blossom and the Welsh flags fly high into the spring sky in Cardiff. Today is St David's Day, and the Welsh capital is holding a series of events to celebrate.

“It’s important that we enjoy days like this, today is our day,” Jane Shellem tells me as I place the fourth Welsh cake of the afternoon into my mouth. “St David’s Day helps the public to remember the good things about the country, and it brings us all together – men and women, young and old.”

She’s not wrong. Jane is one of the 17 local traders who have been given the opportunity to set up in a prime location in the Hayes area of Cardiff to sell to the public. It is part of a scheme which is being run all this week to give small businesses a chance to excel in a congested businesses market.

The 54-year-old has run her own Welsh food stall for the past 22 years and believes that this event run by Cardiff Council can be a success. She said: “It’s good to give small businesses like this a chance to get their products out and people to get to know them.

“It’s hard being a small business to get your foot in the door, so to get that initial kick-start is fantastic.”

Jane has seen it all in her two decades of trade, but is quick to make clear that she is hugely grateful to the Welsh public, who she ranks as being the friendliest people in the world, but first, the English-born mother of three has a secret to tell.

“Okay, I better get this out of the way, I’m not actually Welsh. My mother was Welsh and I’ve spent the best part of 50 years living here, so I consider myself more Welsh than English.

“I love the people around here. Just look around, it’s clear to see the public are very supportive of cultural events such as this. It really is fantastic.

“We are turning the country red for the day and this pinpoints exactly why I class myself as being a Welsh lass.”

As I pass the temporary stalls and walk through the cobbled shopping area of Cardiff’s Victorian arcades, I meet event co-ordinator Alyn Jones who tells me more about the initiative as well as what today means to the Welsh public.

“Firstly, the aim is to allow businesses across Wales to test trade within a busy city environment. It’s important for us to raise the profile of small Welsh businesses, and St David’s Day provides the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate with these local traders.

“Today is a day I’m hugely patriotic about, and by adding a few of these Welsh stalls it can really add to the occasion.”

As Alyn greets a group of Canadian tourists – just some of the estimated 8,000 people expected in the city centre for today’s celebrations - my attention is turned to the Royal Welsh band who make their way through the congested streets past Cardiff Castle. The sun makes one last attempt to shine through the clouds as the day reaches its climax.

The pinnacle of the day includes some of the ‘Giants of Wales’ figures towering high against the famous City Hall building. These tall, colourful, energetic characters which were created by Welsh school children include icons such as Sir Tom Jones, Dame Shirley Bassey, Owain Glyndwr... and Ruth Jones. Of course, this is just another example of the generations integrating as the children’s work is paraded around the streets.

As I return to Jane, who is now deep in conversation with a family who have travelled to the capital from North Wales, it’s enough to take you back to the days when cultural events such as this were held in school, and everyone would come together for the day to celebrate. But why is it that days of celebration such as St David’s Day are portrayed now as being outdated?

Jane is quick to remind me of why it is important to celebrate days such as this.

“It’s easy to forget when rushing around finding the best purchases and enjoying this local band, but we must remember that today is about more than just that. Today we are holding a celebration, it doesn’t matter who you are, or what your background is. It’s a day we can look forward to every year, knowing we can celebrate.”